Performance of a continuously rotating half-wave plate on the POLARBEAR telescope [IMA]

A continuously rotating half-wave plate (CRHWP) is a promising tool to improve the sensitivity to large angular scales in cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization measurements. With a CRHWP, single detectors can measure all three of the Stokes parameters, $I$, $Q$ and $U$, thereby avoiding the set of systematic errors that can be introduced by mismatches in the properties of orthogonal detector pairs. We focus on the implementation of CRHWPs in large aperture telescopes (i.e. the primary mirror is larger than the current maximum half-wave plate diameter of $\sim$0.5 m), where the CRHWP can be placed between the primary mirror and focal plane. In this configuration, one needs to address the intensity to polarization ($I{\rightarrow}P$) leakage of the optics, which becomes a source of 1/f noise and also causes differential gain systematics that arise from CMB temperature fluctuations. In this paper, we present the performance of a CRHWP installed in the POLARBEAR experiment, which employs a Gregorian telescope with a 2.5 m primary illumination pattern. The CRHWP is placed near the prime focus between the primary and secondary mirrors. We find that the $I{\rightarrow}P$ leakage is larger than the expectation from the physical properties of our primary mirror, resulting in a 1/f knee of 100 mHz. The excess leakage could be due to imperfections in the detector system, i.e. detector non-linearity in the responsivity and time-constant. We demonstrate, however, that by subtracting the leakage correlated with the intensity signal, the 1/f noise knee frequency is reduced to 32 mHz ($\ell \sim$39 for our scan strategy), which is sufficient to probe the primordial B-mode signal. We also discuss methods for further noise subtraction in future projects where the precise temperature control of instrumental components and the leakage reduction will play a key role.

S. Takakura, M. Aguilar, Y. Akiba, et. al.
Fri, 24 Feb 17
4/50

Comments: 27 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables, to be submitted to JCAP

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Cosmic Ray RF detection with the ASTRONEU array [CL]

Results will be shown from the ASTRONEU array developed and operated in the outskirts of Patras, Greece. An array of 9 scintillator detectors and 3 antennas were deployed to study Extensive Air Showers (EAS) as a tool for calibrating an underwater neutrino telescope, possible other applications in muon tomography, education purposes, and last but not least, the detection of air showers via their electromagnetic signature. This is the first stage of a total of 24 scintillator counters and 6 RF antennas to complete the array. In this work, results with regard to the electromagnetic detection of showers will be shown. The method of operation and analysis will be presented. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate the adequacy of the method to detect cosmic events even in the presence of high urban electromagnetic background, using noise filters, timing, signal polarization, and eventual comparison with well understood event reconstruction using the scintillator detectors. The results indicate that cosmic showers were detected and the method can be used for the complete array.

I. Manthos, I. Gkialas, G. Bourlis, et. al.
Tue, 21 Feb 17
1/70

Electron train backgrounds in liquid xenon dark matter search detectors are indeed due to thermalization and trapping [CL]

Electron emission from liquid into gaseous xenon is a cornerstone of dark matter search detectors such as ZEPLIN, XENON, LUX and LZ. The probability of emission is a function of the applied electric field E, and electrons which fail to pass from the liquid into the gas have been previously hypothesized to become thermalized and trapped. This article shows, for the first time, quantitative agreement between an electron emission model and existing data. The model predicts that electrons in the liquid must surmount a typical potential barrier phi_b=0.34+-0.01 eV in order to escape into the gas. This value is a factor of about x2 smaller than has previously been calculated or inferred. Knowledge of phi_b allows calculation of the lifetime of thermalized, trapped electrons. The value is O(10) ms, which appears to be compatible with XENON10 observations of electron train backgrounds. As these backgrounds limit the sensitivity of dark sector dark matter searches, possible mitigations are discussed.

P. Sorensen
Fri, 17 Feb 17
26/43

Non-Invertibility of spectral x-ray photon counting data with pileup [CL]

-In the Alvarez-Macovski method [R.E. Alvarez and A. Macovski, Phys. Med. Biol., 1976, 733-744], the attenuation coefficient is approximated as a linear combination of functions of energy multiplied by coefficients that depend on the material composition at points within the object. The method then computes the line integrals of the basis set coefficient from measurements with different x-ray spectra. This paper shows that the transformation from photon counting detector data with pileup to the line integrals can become ill-conditioned under some circumstances leading to highly increased noise. Methods: An idealized model that includes pileup and quantum noise is used. The noise variance of the line integral estimates is computed using the Cram{\`e}r-Rao lower bound (CRLB). The CRLB is computed as a function of object thickness for photon counting detector data with three and four bin pulse height analysis (PHA) and low and high pileup. Results: With four bin PHA data the transformation is well conditioned with either high or low pileup. With three bin PHA and high pileup, the transformation becomes ill-conditioned for specific values of object attenuation. At these values the CRLB variance increases by approximately 10 5 compared with the four bin PHA or low pileup results. The condition number of the forward transformation matrix also shows a spike at those attenuation values. Conclusion: Designers of systems using counting detectors should study the stability of the line integral estimator output with their data.

R. Alvarez
Fri, 17 Feb 17
42/43

Photon emission and atomic collision processes in two-phase argon doped with xenon and nitrogen [CL]

We present a comprehensive analysis of photon emission and atomic collision processes in two-phase argon doped with xenon and nitrogen. The dopants are aimed to convert the VUV emission of pure Ar to the UV emission of the Xe dopant in the liquid phase and to the near UV emission of the N2 dopant in the gas phase. Such a mixture is relevant to two-phase dark matter and low energy neutrino detectors, with enhanced photon collection efficiency for primary and secondary scintillation signals. Based on this analysis, we show that the recently proposed hypothesis of the enhancement of the excitation transfer from Ar to N2 species in the two-phase mode is either incorrect or needs assumption about a new extreme mechanism of excitation transfer coming into force at lower temperatures, in particular that of the resonant excitation transfer via ArN2 compound (van der Waals molecule).

A. Buzulutskov
Tue, 14 Feb 17
19/71

Comments: 6 pages, 1 figure, 1 table

Quantum correlation measurements in interferometric gravitational wave detectors [CL]

Quantum fluctuations in the phase and amplitude quadratures of light set limitations on the sensitivity of modern optical instruments. The sensitivity of the interferometric gravitational wave detectors, such as the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO), is limited by quantum shot noise, quantum radiation pressure noise, and a set of classical noises. We show how the quantum properties of light can be used to distinguish these noises using correlation techniques. Particularly, in the first part of the paper we show estimations of the coating thermal noise and gas phase noise, hidden below the quantum shot noise in the Advanced LIGO sensitivity curve. We also make projections on the observatory sensitivity during the next science runs. In the second part of the paper we discuss the correlation technique that reveals the quantum radiation pressure noise from the background of classical noises and shot noise. We apply this technique to the Advanced LIGO data, collected during the first science run, and experimentally estimate the quantum correlations and quantum radiation pressure noise in the interferometer for the first time.

D. Martynov, V. Frolov, S. Kandhasamy, et. al.
Tue, 14 Feb 17
29/71